1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catalytic material, electrode, and a fuel cell using the Same.
2. Related Art
The problems of global warming and environmental pollution due to massive consumption of fossil fuels are becoming critical problems in recent years. Fuel cells powered by hydrogen as countermeasures against these problems, including solid-state polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), are now catching attention in lieu of the internal-combustion engines that each burn a fossil fuel. Also, information terminal equipment and the like are dimensionally reduced each year by the progress of electronic technology, and hereby, the rapid proliferation of hand-held electronic equipment is being accelerated. Currently, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) fueled by methanol are under development as the next generation of power supplies for compensating for increases in the volumes of information handled by hand-held electronic equipment, and for the increases in power consumption that are associated with higher-speed information processing.
The catalytic materials used for the electrodes and other components of these fuel cells generally take a configuration in which catalysts are dispersed on catalyst carriers, as disclosed in Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-83604. Also, catalyst carriers use carbon materials.